


Night

by cantdrawshaw



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: F/F, Hurt/Comfort, Insomnia, Nightmares
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-28
Updated: 2017-03-28
Packaged: 2018-10-12 03:51:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,562
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10481460
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cantdrawshaw/pseuds/cantdrawshaw
Summary: Alex hasn't been sleeping well lately. Maggie intervenes.





	

**Author's Note:**

> I'm tired. That's my excuse.

Alex Danvers was having a rough week.

She was utterly exhausted, but it had nothing to do with how hard she was working, despite what everyone kept telling her. No, it had to do with the fact that she had barely slept at all in the past five days. Her brain just wouldn’t turn off, keeping her awake at night.

And when she actually managed to doze off, that was when the nightmares came.

If she thought about it, it made sense. The stress of everything that had been happening recently was taking its toll. And since she wasn’t really acknowledging it during the day, her subconscious was trying to let it out at night.

Tonight was no different. Maggie and Alex had both gotten home to Alex’s apartment and collapsed into bed together, spent after a joint job between the DEO and the NCPD. There had been fighting involved, and both women were battered and bruised and just glad there wasn’t too much paperwork to fill out. Luckily, the most serious injury had been a cut above Maggie’s eye that needed stitching, and other than that, they were fine. But they were definitely going to be feeling the effects tomorrow, if the stiffness that was already creeping up on Alex was any indication.

Maggie was asleep within minutes of their arrival, out before her head even hit the pillow. Alex took a little longer, but she eventually allowed her burning eyes to close with the thought that she was actually going to be able to sleep tonight.

And she did, for a couple hours. But then she was dreaming.

For some reason, she found herself back in the alley behind the bar, trying to stop the men from taking Lyra. She felt the gun against her back and the man’s arm around her neck as they spun around to face Maggie in the doorway. But this time, James wasn’t there to save them. This time, the gun went off.

Alex felt the bullet enter her back and tear its way through her torso. Then she was falling, and everything disappeared except for the pain and the ground and the sight of Maggie. But even that faded away, until all she could see and hear was Maggie screaming.

Alex jolted upright, hand clutching at her shirt, where she could feel the burn of the exit wound. She took in the familiar walls and feeling of her sheets, and pieced together that it had just been a dream.

The screams were ringing in her ears, though. Her heart was beating hard against her ribs and it took a lot of willpower to convince herself that she hadn’t just been shot. But the warmth she could feel on her chest and back was only sweat, and Maggie was sleeping peacefully beside her, in no sign of distress.

After a few minutes, she felt a lot calmer, laying back down. She tried to close her eyes, but the remnants of Maggie’s anguished face were seared into her eyelids, so she kept her gaze on her dark ceiling.

Her mind was somehow racing and simultaneously too tired to keep up with itself. There was also a burning in her stomach and lower back, so Alex decided to get up and relieve herself. Hoped it would help her get back to sleep.

Her eyes squinted in the harsh light of the bathroom, and she avoided looking at herself in the mirror when she washed her hands. She already knew what she would see: tight lips and bloodshot eyes, dark, bruise-like bags heavy with exhaustion.

She felt a little better when she walked out. But she was still restless and she didn’t want to disturb Maggie by tossing and turning. So she headed to the fridge and grabbed some water before she made her way to the couch, where she sank heavily into the cushions.

She took a few sips from the water bottle and then let her head fall to her hands. Her whole body was aching, from both the bruising and the need to rest. A scream of frustration threatened to rip out of her, similar to the ones she was still hearing in her head. But she knew she had to keep quiet. A whimper left her lips instead.

That was when she felt the hand on her back, and another on her arm. She brought her head up to meet Maggie’s worried gaze, her girlfriend crouching in front of her. She must have turned a light on without Alex noticing.

“Hey,” Maggie said softly. “You okay, Alex?”

The gentle pressure on her spine grounded her enough to focus. “’M fine,” she slurred. “Jus’ couldn’t sleep.” Even her tongue wasn’t cooperating with her. “Didn’t wanna wake you.”

Maggie sat beside her, keeping the contact on her back. She leaned in close, eyes searching Alex’s face. “It’s fine. I’m just a little worried about you. Do you want to go back to bed?”

Alex shook her head. The action made her skull throb, so she closed her eyes and pressed her forehead into Maggie’s shoulder. “I don’t think I can right now,” she whispered.

Maggie moved her hand to Alex’s arm and began to rub up and down. “That’s okay,” she said. “What can you do right now?”

“I don’t know,” Alex admitted, feeling overwhelmed. “I don’t know, Maggie. I’m so tired. Everything hurts.”

“Shh, Alex, it’s okay. Just try to relax,” Maggie soothed. “We can just stay like this if you need to.”

And they did. They sat in silence as Maggie massaged some of the tension away from Alex’s neck and shoulders. After a few minutes, Alex didn’t feel quite as miserable. At least enough to sit up a little straighter.

She met Maggie’s warm eyes and tried to return her caring smile. Hers might have been a little strained, but it was enough for Maggie.

“How about some hot chocolate?” Maggie asked. “We haven’t tried that yet and that always used to help me when I couldn’t sleep.”

Hot chocolate did sound really good at the moment. “Sure.”

Maggie smiled wider, then leaned in and kissed Alex softly. “Wait right here,” she said after she pulled back. She stood up and padded to the kitchen. The sounds of her rummaging around in the cabinets filled the apartment a minute later.

Alex sat for a couple breaths before she got up and followed her girlfriend. Her mind was still racing and she didn’t want to be alone with her thoughts anymore, not even for a few seconds. She found Maggie standing over a pot on the stove, fingers absently picking at her stitches.

“Stop that,” Alex said, swatting her hand away. She pulled herself into Maggie’s arms to keep them occupied.

She didn’t miss the guilt at being caught flash across Maggie’s features. But Maggie laughed it off. “Someone’s grumpy,” she teased. “And clingy.”

Alex grunted, too tired to keep up their normal banter. Maggie seemed to understand, and she nuzzled Alex’s neck with her nose. She placed a kiss to the tender skin there, and Alex leaned in even more.

The water boiled quickly, and Maggie poured two mugs before stirring the mix in. They waited a few minutes for them to cool off, then made their way back to the couch. Alex let the warmth radiating from the ceramic fill her hands. It was calming somehow. She took a careful sip, not wanting to burn her tongue. It wasn’t as hot as she was expecting, so she took a bigger gulp.

And nearly spit it out when she looked at Maggie afterward. Her girlfriend had already finished half of her drink, and was currently sporting a chocolate moustache. It was an adorable sight. Maggie licked her lips when she saw Alex sputtering. “It’s too early for me to make a fool of myself,” she said with a smile, wiping her mouth with her shirt.

Alex knew it was just a joke, but the comment still sobered her. After all, it was her fault Maggie was awake at this wretched hour.

“Nope. No more thinking,” Maggie said suddenly, poking Alex in the forehead. She placed her now empty mug on the coffee table, motioning for Alex to finish hers. When she did, Maggie got rid of that mug as well. Then she grabbed a pillow and patted it on her lap. “Just c’mere, Danvers.”

Alex lay down as instructed, Maggie’s fingers making their way to her hair and beginning to scratch at her scalp. Alex let out a little moan of appreciation. It felt so good.

Maggie covered Alex with the blanket from the back of the couch. Then her hands kept at it, sending tingles of pleasure to Alex’s brain. “Try to rest now, okay? I’ll be right here,” Maggie whispered.

Alex wanted to argue that this wouldn’t be the best position for Maggie to stay in for the rest of the night, but her tongue felt heavy in her mouth, and the words died in her throat. Her eyes closed seconds later, as gentle hands continued to comb through her hair. The hot chocolate was warming her, and Alex felt her body truly relax for the first time all week. She was slipping away when she felt Maggie lean down and press a kiss to her cheek.

And then she slept.


End file.
